Crew members carry a bag containing the body believed to be a victim of AirAsia Flight 8501 to a helicopter on the KRI Banda Aceh, on the Java Sea, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Natanael Pohan)

(Newser)
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The second attempt to lift the fuselage of the crashed AirAsia jetliner failed today as the wreckage sank back to the ocean floor when a rope linking the lifting balloons broke. Navy spokesman Manahan Simorangkir said strong current was the main obstacle. The rope had been fastened and linked to a ship, but broke again as the fuselage was lifted. "We could not fight against nature," Simorangkir said. "We just hope the weather would change and be conducive." The attempt yesterday failed because lifting balloons deflated. Divers reached the fuselage for the first time on Friday. Most of the victims are believed to be inside. Simorangkir said rescuers retrieved one body today that floated as the fuselage was being raised.

A total of 70 bodies have been discovered from Flight 8501, which crashed Dec. 28 with 162 people on board while flying from Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya, to Singapore. Dozens of navy divers have been fighting strong current and poor visibility while trying to lift the fuselage from 100-feet-deep waters in the Java Sea. The cockpit has been located about 500 yards away, and the bodies of the pilot and co-pilot are believed to be there. Bad weather is a suspected factor in the crash. Initial reports show that the plane climbed like a fighter jet, then stalled. The flight disappeared soon afterward. Transportation authorities have ruled out sabotage and say a preliminary accident report is expected to be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organization this coming week.

Worked w/an X-Navy diver who lost a lot of buddies to "accidents" undersea so when he realized it was just a matter of time before he too would die, he hung up his helmet> Man, was it heavy but Bentley was one BIG strong man like most Navy divers have to be

JoeQ

Jan 25, 2015 11:26 AM CST

Strong current is insanely dangerous to divers. Better to leave them all there than have a single diver die.